I think the last time I was up close and personal with wildlife was when a soot covered squirrel came down our chimney, and hopped into the bed where I was sleeping. Clearly I survived, and so did the squirrel. Even B, who ultimately let the squirrel inside the house survived.

It didn't help that at the time we were unclear as to whether the new owner of the house wanted to move in or not. Facing eviction while unemployed can do interesting things to your psyche, and as such I was in the middle of a nightmare where we were forced to live in a bug infested room. In the dream, the staff had offered to go inside the room first to chase the bugs when I heard B yell out, "Oh my God! There's a squirrel in the house!!" I still remember coming out of the dream telling B that there wasn't a squirrel – only roaches. That's about when I awoke to find a real live squirrel on the pillow next to me, bushy tail and all.